High Five for Friday - Link up, Vol. 6

Wow, so this has been one long week! Am I right??  I don't know, some weeks just feel longer than others. Work is getting busier, the weather is getting warmer and I am just ready for a vacation! But unfortunately that's going to have to wait awhile.

Seeing as it's Friday...it's time for another H54F, a.k.a my 5 favorite things from this week, with Lauren over at From My Grey Desk

ONE. My new, ABSOLUTE favorite bracelets! I couldn't decide which color to buy, so I got both. Do you blame me??

TWO. I look forward to my Food Network Magazine every month, but especially when summer rolls around. They just have the most amazing recipes in there, plus eye-catching pictures, great articles and fun contests! I'll be curling up with this sometime this weekend for sure. Now that I'm eating a bit more basic, I'm just going to have to figure out how to make some of the dishes a little differently - but I know it can be done!

THREE. I bought this book on sale last week from Walmart and I am absolutely loving it. I got the chance to attend on of Joyce Meyer's Women's Conferences in St. Louis, MO many years ago with one of my college roommates. She blew me away then, and she is doing so again with this book. It's just a daily devotional read, which technically starts January 1st, but I'm just going to start from the beginning now and go day-by-day. I've been waking up in the morning, reading my devotion, blogging and getting ready for work - such a peaceful way to start the morning, let me tell you!

FOUR. The Strawberry Poppyseed & Chicken Salad from Panera...um, have you tried this salad?! It is one of my all-time favorites, and is only available in late Spring - Summer. And believe me, I order it every chance I get when it's there. Some people might not like fruit in their salad...but to me, it is so refreshing!! Greens, chicken, strawberries, blueberries, madarin oranges, pineapple, pecans & fat-free poppyseed dressing = DELICIOUSNESS! Oh, and did I mention you can buy the poppyseed dressing at Target...I'm pretty sure I'm going to recreate this salad at home soon!! :)

FIVE. I got contacted by a publishing company to review this book (see this post)...

...and participate in their blog tour. I'm pretty excited for the opportunity! I'll be posting my full review/post next Wednesday, May 23rd - so stay tuned!

That's it for my H54F...as always, thanks for hosting Lauren!
This weekend I am participating in the Warrior Dash near Charlotte - a 5k/3.1 mile course full of 11 obstacles (rope climbs, crawling under barbed wire, and yes, this includes lots & lots of MUD).
Wish me luck...I think I'm going to need it!! :) Pictures to come...

Another Easy Peasy Dinner

Well, I'm back with another SUPER easy dinner that I threw together the other night. Again, it's nothing fancy and I'm sure nothing new & inventive in the cooking world. But it was quick, pretty healthy and tasted SO good!!!

Shrimp & Broccoli with Rice:

Sauteed about 20 small shrimp (I love shrimp) in EVOO, minced garlic and some crushed red pepper
Boiled broccoli (like the bag said), but then baked it in the oven (10 min) with some s/p/Parmesan cheese
Microwaved some white rice
Tossed all together with s/p

You could make this dinner with steak, chicken, tofu or just some other vegetables. I've been buying those little cups of rice (white & brown) that you can just pop in the microwave for about a minute. They are the perfect serving size and super easy. Plus, there's a coupon in each package! :) Also, I tossed the leftover EVOO mixture together with the shrimp/broccoli/rice...and it gave it so much flavor! You could also substitute the white rice for brown rice - I was out of brown rice, unfortunately, but I try to mix it up from meal-to-meal. All in all, quick & delicious!!

So I don't know if can you tell, but I'm on a health(ier) kick lately:

 

Mango-flavored coconut water; taco salad; my "easy peasy pasta"; salad with chicken, cheese & Italian dressing

Apple; edamame; baked potato with cheese

 Panera's Thai chopped chicken salad, apple & iced green tea; Panera's grilled chicken Caesar salad, chicken noodle soup, apple & iced green tea

You know I'm serious when I'm even eating healthier at Panera...it's one of my go-to places on a weekly or biweekly basis, but I'm usually ordering their broccoli-cheese soup, a panini, bread bowl, bagel...not as healthy, but SO yummy! I will say, if you haven't tried their iced green tea, go for it! It's AWESOME!

Hopefully I can stay on this kick, because I'm finding that it's easier to make healthier choices when I plan out meals, use things I already have in my pantry, and look at restaurant menus ahead of time.

I found this on Pinterest, and I'm trying really hard to listen to it, because I think it says a lot:

Pinned here (Fitness Board)

I don't know about you, but that just makes me really STOP and THINK about what I'm putting in my body!! I'm not perfect though...and I'm still learning - I have cheat days, I may not be eating something that is as healthy as I think it is...but I'm trying. It's a work-in-progress!

I'd love to hear about any quick & easy dinners you've been throwing together...or things you're eating that are on the healthier side - leave them in the comments!! :)

Hanging Out at Panera

When I lived in Monterey, the closest Panera was about 45 minutes away. I ate there a few times, when traveling to and from the San Jose airport...but that was about it. So, imagine my relief and excitement when I realized that there is one just 5 minutes down the road from where I'm living now!! I love Panera...not only because of the food (which is amazeballs),

 Broccoli cheddar soup, strawberry poppy-seed salad (no chicken) & iced green tea

...but also because they have FREE wi-fi (it can't get any better than that) and I just really enjoy the atmosphere. For the most part, it's quiet and relaxing...I used to get a lot of studying and work down on my afternoons at Panera during graduate school. Currently, I'm indulging in my latest read:

Operation Beautiful...a book that stemmed from an epidemic (that I just found out about recently). Operation Beautiful is transforming the way that people see themselves one post-it note at a time! It sounds so simple, but has really caught the eye of many, many people. Basically, all you do is write a note (something as simple as "you are beautiful just the way you are") on a post-it and leave it somewhere (a public bathroom mirror, a fitness center scale). I just think that it's such a great idea and so simple! You can read on the website and in the book how much it has changed so many people's lives. :) All you need is a pad of paper and a pen. Check out more here!

Hope everyone has a lovely rest of the weekend!